Name a Star
by qtkelley
Summary: Rick buys Claire an interesting gift. Just a small snapshot of a moment from Rick and Claire's adult life. Minor language, but really just fluff.


"I know things have been a little rough lately."

Rick put an arm around Claire's shoulders. She was stiff and and nearly shook him off. He continued. "I know things have been rough lately, but I got you something. Do you remember when we were out in the Andromeda Galaxy together?" Claire softened a bit at the mention of the trip; it had been their honeymoon, months of exploring the outer reaches of the Milky Way's sister galaxy. It was one of the only good memories they had together. She looked at him and nodded, softening a little bit into the couch they were sharing. "Well," he said, "I bought you something while we were visiting the Andromeda Galactic Federation. I was saving it for- Well I was saving it for a time like this." Claire looked curiously at him. He didn't usually speak with such softness, she was surprised at his tone. "Well?" She asked, "What is it?" Rick smirked and went into the the next room.

Claire sat on the couch in waiting, a hand resting on her pregnant belly. She was exasperated and worried. This was not a household to raise a child in. Rick had become more irresponsible and reckless lately, and the drug and alcohol use was at an all time high. She had asked- no, begged- for him to get sober, to get help, but her attempts had not done anything to sway him. From the next room she could hear him rummaging around. "Claire? I found it!" Rick came bounding back into the room carrying a small, black, wooden box. He took his place next to her on the couch again, holding out the small black box. It was plain, smooth and unremarkable. Claire looked up at Rick. "Well," he said, "Open it!" Claire took the box into her hands, running her fingers over the edges. Slowly, she opened the box.

A small, bright orb floated out of the box and hovered inches in front of Claire's face. It shone a bright white color, streaks of gold radiating out to lightly touch Claire's skin. It was warm and even felt bright, she found it difficult to explain. Inside was a small note. She pulled it out and unfolded the aging piece of paper. Handwritten in neat, flowing cursive were the words " _This hereby signifies that star OH4-3597Z of the Andromeda galaxy belongs to Claire Sanchez of the Milky Way Galaxy, Earth C-137_." Claire stared at her gift. She knew what this meant. This was no star registry from earth, this was the star registry from the Andromeda Galactic Federation, known for registering stars and giving away a piece of one. A real piece of a real star, bottled and processed for her. She took a sharp breath in, realizing how much this must have cost him.

"R-Rick…." Her hands shook, still holding and staring at the piece of paper. He beamed at her. For once they were having a small moment of happiness, an isolated few minutes where everything just felt… all right. His hands found hers. "Do you like it? I mean I agonized over which one I was supposed to get you but I decided it didn't really matter. It's a real star for fuck's sake! I thought that was pretty incredible on its own. Especially for you." Claire looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She was beaming ear to ear, the star now nestled in the crook of her neck. It was special to her, and not just for obvious reasons. She had met Rick in college where she had been working on her PhD in astronomy with a focus in astrobiology, the study of the possibility of life on other planets. When she had met Rick, it had been a whirlwind of emotion. She was immediately struck by him, mostly because he had taken her to a different planet on their very first date. She couldn't believe it: real life on other planets! And not just the possibility of microorganisms but real, developed life! And now for him to give her this star, well it was incredible to say the least. She fell into his chest, pushing them both down to lay on the couch, where she began to thank him profusely. She looked up at him with big eyes, a look he hadn't seen since they first met, and said "I love you, Rick."

It would be one of the last times she felt this happy.


End file.
